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dave laginess
Plzeňský Prazdroj. You figure it out. Pilsner Urquell. Since 1852, this czech pilsner has been the forefront of thr style as it is the very first. Using Saaz hops, Urquell has a bit more of a bite, but still easily drinkable. A nice crisp summer beer. Overall, the beer just makes sense As an ambassador for the style, often imitated and most certainly compared to. Available everywhere. Low abv and supreme drinkability. Put some in your face already.
Cheers! -DAVE
American Pale Ale. Not quite an IPA, but some come damn near. If you live near Indiana you're fortunate enough to get a hold of one of the better representations of the style. Three Floyd's Zombie Dust. This beer showcases the Citra hop and while it's only 50 ibu, it's still very full bodied, aromatic and hoppy. Citra hops are just what they sound like, giving off orange and grapefruit aromas. Three Floyd's doesn't have a far distribution, as they are still a fairly smaller brewery, so if you're ever travelling to the Chicago area I'd suggest making a detour. They make other amazing beers but this is made year round and it's worth the trip. Drink This beer for breakfast.
Cheers! -Dave
Beer Advocate: 100
Rate Beer: 100
Hoppy and roasty. Think big coffee porter style but also with a large focus on the hop profile. American black ales or, black ipa's, when done well can empart a huge amount of flavors. Stone's Sublimely self-righteous black ipa nails this style and luckily it's available year round. Roasted malts give the toffee, coffee notes while the large amount of hops bring out juicy grapefruit. Big abv at 8.7. This beer hits every time and pairs great with damn near anything barbequed. Most places that carry Stone's beers can get this if they don't already carry it. You should probably already be drinking this. Cheers! -Dave
Beer advocate: 94
Ratebeer: 100
Even your mom will love this one. Mine did and she hates beer. Lindeman's Framboise (fram-bwah) is a raspberry fermented lambic beer. Lambics are a certain kind of beer made in the open fermentaion style. This allows wiild bacteria and yeast local to the area to enter the beer. This sours the taste but also gives a dry, cider like taste. When fermented with raspberrys you have what is called a framboise. Very sweet, tart, strong raspberry flavor. Very low alcohol. If you find yourself liking sour beers more, getting into the world of gueuzes and krieks and oud bruins is worth finding out more on. There are not too many breweries doing these great low alcohol beers but can usually be found pretty easily these days in most specialty drink stores. Pairs great with so many chocolaty things.
Cheers! -Dave
Mead is one of the oldest fermented beverages known to us, some say dating back before we knew how to cultivate the Earth. That's old. Often called honey-wine, mead is typically just that. Fermented honey. Spices or fruits can be added to create many desired flavors. Your average mead can have an ABV as high as 19%, but the good folks over at B. Nektar have been bottling lower alcohol meads for sometime now. Their most popular? A tart, sweet little number known only as Zombie Killer. Made with Michigan cherry juice, apples and honey, this thing clocks in at only 6% abv but be careful, it's ridiculously refreshing and far too easy to drink. Which means on a nice summer day, you'll be set up real nice after just a few of these. Pair with chocolate deserts, smoked white fish or pasta but, don't pair with driving. That shit is not cool. Cheers and mahalo! -Dave
Rate Beer: 98
Simple, Dubbel and Tripel or Trippel, not triple. Tripel's have triple the amount of malt which give them a much higher abv. Big frothy heads, notes of cloves and bananas. Lightly hopped only for preservation, the bitterness is almost unnoticeable. Tripels finish with a spicy sweet taste but the mouth feel is light and easy, due to Belgian candy sugar. Despite the higher alcohol content, the best Tripels are the one's where you can't tell you're getting hammered until you stand up. Dragonmead brewery offers this in a nice light-proof box with Final Absolution. Keeping true to the style most often done by Trappist monks, Final Absolution is a fine example of an American-style tripel. Native to Michigan, found at all finer beer stores and the Vile Co. homebase fridge. Meant for sipping, if you're a girl. To be paired with cheeses and bbq'd meats or, just for those cold nights when the only warmth is the glowing laptop screen on your face... Cheers rubes!
Beer Advocate: 90
Rate Beer: 94
I have to tell you about Evil Twin's two Jesus stouts. First, Even More Jesus. The giant flavors of this stout keep up with any of the near mythical, once a year stouts from Founders or Goose Island. Deep colors, huge chocolate and coffee notes. Big abv, big mouth feel. It's a beer to savor. Brewed in limited quantities but this beer seems to be everywhere right now. Get your hands on this work of art. Had it? Loved it? Go big then, tough guy. Double Barrel Jesus awaits your confessions, with what seems like double the intense flavors of even more jesus. Both at 12% abv. Evil Twin makes all their beers at other breweries, every beer is a collaboration. This one is done with Westbrook Brewing, who make an incredible line of beers. Hunt these stouts down and grill something. Preferably something bloody. Praise Jebus!
Even More Jesus
Beer Advocate: 95
Rate Beer: 100
Double Barrel Jesus
Beer Advocate: 98
Rate Beer: 100
Ever drink a baseball glove mixed with barn hay but kind of sparkling and lightly fruity? Well you should. Saisons are beers that some find just too offensive to the palate, but the right one can resemble a fine white wine or champagne. The style is open-fermented which allows wild yeast and bacteria to become part of the process, which is what leads to the funky, dry flavors of a saison. Even to myself some saisons are hit or miss, but if you had to ask me to pick you one that would best define the style, Saison Dupont is the way to go. Hazy and golden with a nice white head, crisp, dry and sparkling. A light spice is noticeable. Good spring/summer beer. Pair with chicken, fish or a whole mess of hot, nude women. Cheers! -Dave
RATE BEER 99
This one is for the ladies and dudes with vaginas. Only kidding, but really, this beer is fucking delish. Brewed with a shit-ton of fresh Michigan raspberries, it's not only refreshing but it keeps you wanting more and more. Not overly sweet, there's a huge malt bill to balance out the sour/tart from the berries. To hell with your summer shandy, with a 5.7% abv this is going to be my frequent lawn mowing beer this summer. You want to get real crazy? Pour yourself a glass of your favorite IPA and top it off with a bit of Rubaeus, thank me later. A seasonal release but you should be able to find this wherever finer beers are sold and poured. Cheers and mahalo! -Dave
Rate Beer: 99
Beer Advocate: 90
One of these will give you a buzz. Three of them might have you talking funny. Brewed by Trappist monks in the quadrupel style, abt12 is an incredible beer. Dark in color, heavy with flavors of dried fruits, sweeter, boozy... honestly, everyone who likes beer should try this beer. World-class ratings touts this beer as one of the best to be had, and with good reason. With a recipe centuries old, this beer was once brewed at an abbey where you could only get the beer if you visited the monastery in Belgium. Now, it's shared with the planet. With a 10% abv this is no session beer, but a sipper to be paired with finer foods. To be enjoyed as a treat for the pallet, not for the average bro belly.
If you try any of the beers I've blogged about, let this be the first. Try it cold, then try it room temperature, a whole new beast awakens. And for shits sake, buy some beer glasses and pour this mother in a tulip. Cheers and mahalo!
